Leading charge on Bunker Hill

Much-maligned Bunker Hill Day should be nationally revered in recognition of the stalwart militia who bloodied the British in Charlestown in 1775, said U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, who said yesterday he wants to start a campaign to support a federal holiday.

Long mocked as a so-called hack holiday observed mainly by municipal and state employees in Suffolk County, the bloody June 17, 1775, battle on Breed’s Hill by ragtag militia defending America’s independence from British tyranny deserves better, Capuano said.

“It says more about America, what happened that day, than almost anything since. And yet, we tend to forget. None of us forgets on Memorial Day, none of us forgets on Flag Day, none of us forgets on Veterans Day. We should not forget on Bunker Hill Day,” Capuano told 300 patriots at yesterday’s 27th annual Bunker Hill Associates breakfast.

“It should be a national holiday,” said townie Caitlin Walsh, 23. “It was the day the British started taking us seriously.”

The American militia, though they ultimately lost that day, astonished British attackers by standing up to artillery bombardment and advancing infantry — killing more than 200 Redcoats and wounding hundreds more by heeding the legendary command, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!”

Capuano told the Herald he won’t file legislation on Capitol Hill until he can ignite a homegrown campaign for respect, noting that a federal bill wouldn’t stand a chance without a groundswell of support.

But he said, “You have to start someplace.”

“There’s no question it’s one of the most important days in our history,” said David McCullough of the Back Bay, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and historian.

“We have such a wealth of history here in Boston,” said the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. “As is human nature, we often take it for granted. Certainly Bunker Hill is one of the outstanding sites that deserves not only recognition, but understanding. Sure, it deserves more attention, and good for him for saying so.”

Friday at noon, for the first time in recent history, the day will be commemorated — there will a ceremonial raising of the Bunker Hill flag on City Hall Plaza.

“Some people call it a hack holiday. Hopefully this will be a new tradition in the city of Boston,” said City Councilor Sal LaMattina, who backs Capuano’s idea.

Elizabeth Warren, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, called national Bunker Hill Day “a great idea.”

“I think our history is an important part of who we are today,” Warren told the Herald before marching in yesterday’s Bunker Hill Day parade. “We respect that by celebrating, but also by remembering.”